INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

 

Identification of Water Harvesting and Associated Hydraulic Structures at Narnaul

Speaker: Dr. Akshat Kumar Kaushik, Assistant Archaeologist, Chandigarh Circle, A.S.I. He has participated in several excavations like Sravasti (U.P), Dholavira (Gujrat) & Purana Qila (Delhi). He has conducted several explorations in the states of Haryana & Punjab. Presently he is involved in a village to village survey along the dried-up bed of River Saraswati from Adi Badri to Distt. Sirsa (upto Haryana – Rajasthan border). He is the author of Ancient Indian Town Planning: A Journey Across Two Urbanisation

 

Narnaul is a historical town located in the south western part of Haryana, characterised by dry-land topography--an ensemble of terrain features associated with semi-arid to arid environment.  A number of monuments of the medieval period dot its landscape.  Of these, the most interesting are the water bodies. The reasons for the presence of a large number and variety of water bodies cannot be studied in isolation. They need to be looked at in context of their environmental setting and landscape, in order to better understand their functionality and usage. The talk examines the reasons and justifications for the creation of these monumental structures, their strategic location and role in the subsequent development of the town. A physical survey and GPS mapping of the whole area in and around Narnaul, including sources of water, their courses and channels brought out ways in which the natural topography was exploited and harnessed as a part of the water harvesting system that was the lifeline of the Medieval town